Installing Gutters

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcleve4911

I think Tom has you headed in the right direction.
They may do a cut and drop for you where you give them all the critical information, they fabricate the gutter and downspouts and drop it off at the house. You install and are fully responsible for everything.

Are you asking how to make one yourself?

No I don't want to make the gutters myself. I was told by an installer that they no longer sell tinned steel rounded gutters.. Rounded half gutters are now made in copper. However, the solder for this installation has some environmental issues.

I am looking for the cheapest option as my porch is suffering wood rot. Guess there isn't any.

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Installing Gutters

The link Tom sent you advertises copper, aluminum and steel. It may be possible to make angled cuts in a straight piece of aluminum gutter and may be cheaper as well but there will always be the potential for leaks a those joints no matter how well you seal them.

It looks like the previous owner was concerned with diverting the water away from the entrance without much consideration of the impact that this would have on the rest of the house. Beware of other such shortcuts in the house, especially with the electrical wiring.

Installing Gutters

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim F

The link Tom sent you advertizes copper, aluminum and steel. It may be possible to make angled cuts in a straight piece of aluminum gutter and may be cheaper as well but there will always be the potential for leaks a those joints no matter how well you seal them.

It looks like the previous owner was concerned with diverting the water away from the entrance without much consideration of the impact that this would have on the rest of the house. Beware of other such shortcuts in the house, especially with the electrical wiring.

Thanks for your response. Before I bought the house, it was missing some gutters here and there and had no downspouts. There may have been some but they had rotted and were never replaced. I don't know.. However, one of the contingencies I made when in the process of purchasing the home was that they install downspouts which they have done at the sides of the house. My guess is they either couldn't afford all new gutters all the way around or they didn't know how to go about finding rounded gutters.

As for the wiring, it still has some knob and tubing but its mostly in the attic, basement and back porch. The circuit breaker panel box is updated.

Installing Gutters

Installing Gutters

Based on the pics, I'd say Tom's link is right-on... If you don't want to go that route, the only other thing that I can think of would be to create some type of "rain diverter" system that could drain into downspouts or something like that. What type of pitch does that roof have? Does it just slope down from the house?.. is it raised in the middle? ... I assume there is no "trough" built into the structure that may have been covered over?

Installing Gutters

Installing Gutters

I like Jim F's idea of taking a straight piece of aluminum and making cuts, say every 2 feet on the inside. The gutter on my house has a lot of curvature on the outside, which would make this technique difficult. You would be looking for a gutter profile that is flat as possible on the outside. Take a look around for the most appropriate profile, buy a test piece of aluminum gutter, and give it a try. Rivet the overlap in the bends so it will hold. And don't use roofing tar on the joints, use the rubber stuff intended for gutters. Just buy a 10 ft length of gutter and do a test.

Installing Gutters

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewEnglandYank

No I don't want to make the gutters myself. I was told by an installer that they no longer sell tinned steel rounded gutters.. Rounded half gutters are now made in copper. However, the solder for this installation has some environmental issues.
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